(By conceptual artist Félix González-Torres/Image source: MoMA)
Ok, I recently saw a video by Spanish artist and YouTuber Antonio García Villarán about this so-called «artist» Félix González-Torres and I just had to tell you about it. First, the «artist» has been exhibited in great venues like the Guggenheim and the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan. That tells me nothing about his art. It tells me he has the right connections…
The above «art-work», composed of two cheap clocks (I mean there is nothing special about them), is supposed to symbolise him and his partner (who died of AIDS). The clocks are set to the same time, but as the installation runs, the clocks eventually run a bit out of sync with each other. I must admit that I do not see any of this in the two clocks. If this explanation was not provided I would have no clue.
And the information itself is rather contrived. The two clocks are identical. I do not think the «artist» and his lover were identical twins. Also there is no indication there of anyone dying of AIDS. He could have used the international symbol of AIDS which is a red ribbon…
To me this is taking us for a ride, having us on, bullshitting! This is the art of nothing! No one would see anything on the MoMA’s wall except for two ordinary, office style clocks. They do not represent two lovers, or one who died and the other kept ticking or anything about synchronisation of their lives. It is utter rubbish!
How installations like these get into great museums makes me wonder about the curators and directors of these supposed fine art institutions. I would feel cheated after paying and being subjected to such «art».
And I am not going to mention anything about the «artist». If anyone is interested in his work, I am sure they will look him up. I usually feature art and artists, both of my liking or dislike, but the main requisite is that they must be «artists» not posers.
(By conceptual artist Félix González-Torres/Image source: MoMA)
Ok, I recently saw a video by Spanish artist and YouTuber Antonio García Villarán about this so-called «artist» Félix González-Torres and I just had to tell you about it. First, the «artist» has been exhibited in great venues like the Guggenheim and the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan. That tells me nothing about his art. It tells me he has the right connections…
The above «art-work», composed of two cheap clocks (I mean there is nothing special about them), is supposed to symbolise him and his partner (who died of AIDS). The clocks are set to the same time, but as the installation runs, the clocks eventually run a bit out of sync with each other. I must admit that I do not see any of this is the two clocks. If this explanation was not provided I would have no clue.
And the information itself is rather contrived. The two clocks are identical. I do not think the «artist» and his lover were identical twins. Also there is indication there of anyone dying of AIDS as the international symbol of AIDS is a red ribbon…
To me this is taking us for a ride, having us on, bullshitting! This is the art of nothing! No one would see anything on the MoMA’s wall except for two ordinary, office style clocks. They do not represent two lovers, or one who died and the other kept ticking or anything about synchronisation of their lives. It is utter rubbish!
How installations like these get into great museums makes me wonder about the curators and directors of these supposed fine art institutions. I would feel cheated after paying and being subjected to such «art».
And I am not going to mention anything about the «artist». If anyone is interested in his work, I am sure they will look him up. I usually feature art and artists, both of my liking or dislike, but the main requisite is that they must be «artists» not posers.
(«Forgettable Divas»/Francisco Bravo Cabrera/All Rights Reserved)
Which one would it be?
According to chatgpt, it would be «Friday» by Rebecca Black. I had never heard the song (as I do not listen to pop after the mid 1990’s) but I played it and after about 10 seconds of listening I fully agreed with chatgpt.
Do you?
But do not forget to tell me which song you would erase from history. And don’t cheat, don’t ask chatgpt, tell me from your own human intelligence.
Bueno este artista y poeta gitano, que nació en Sevilla (Triana) en 1905, lo hizo, y lo fue, todo durante su corta vida. Digamos que fue sindicalista anti-franquista, pintor, cartelista. y este poeta gitano español, también fielmente representó la vanguardia artística de principios del siglo XX. Estudio Bellas Artes de noche y de dia era ayudante de pintor en la fábrica de la Cartuja. En 1925 expuso por primera vez obras cubistas… En 1927, por sus opiniones libertarias se tuvo que exiliar en París… Fue expulsado de París por manifestarse ne contra de las ejecuciones de los anarquistas Sacco y Vanzetti… Se fugo a Bélgica, pasó por Amsterdam y Vienna y estuvo dos meses en la URSS… En 1930 publicó su primer álbum Días de Ira en Berlin… Después de la dictadura de Primo de Rivera volvió a Barcelona. Colaboró en los diarios L’Opinió , La Rambla, La Batalla, L’Hora, Bolivar, Estudios y Nueva España haciendo las portadas e ilustraciones. Pero por sus tendencias que fueron muy lejos para unirse a las de los comunistas fue pronto expulsado por unirse a los grupos pro-soviéticos… Bueno, despues de dar un sin fin de giros que incluyeron exposiciones en la URSS, y despues de la guerra fue puesto en prisión por asociación ilegal. Allí pintó el fresco La Capilla Gitana. Estuvo privado de libertad hasta 1954. Murió en Barcelona en 1956.
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Helios Gómez, gypsy artist and poet was born in Seville (Triana) in 1905. During his short life he was an anti-Franco unionist, painter, poster artist who represented the artistic avant-garde of the early 20th century. He studied Fine Arts at night and during the day he was a painter’s assistant in the Cartuja factory. In 1925, he exhibited cubist works for the first time… In 1927, due to his libertarian opinions, he had to go into exile in Paris… He was expelled from Paris for protesting against the executions of anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti… He fled to Belgium, passed through Amsterdam and Vienna, and spent two months in the USSR… In 1930, he published his first album Días de Ira in Berlin… After the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera, he returned to Barcelona. He collaborated in the newspapers L’Opinió, La Rambla, La Batalla, L’Hora, Bolivar, Estudios, and Nueva España, creating covers and illustrations. However, due to his far-left tendencies that aligned with communists, he was soon expelled for joining pro-Soviet groups… Well, after a countless number of twists that included exhibitions in the USSR, and after the war (SPanish Civil War), he was imprisoned for illegal association. There he painted the fresco La Capilla Gitana. He was deprived of freedom until 1954. He died in Barcelona in 1956.
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(Capilla Gitana de la cárcel Modelo/Foto de Albert Garcia/El País)
(Image source: Canal Sur)
(Image source: Solidaridad Obrera)
Para mi fue un artista consecuente con sus ideas y supo, como artista que era, expresarse y educar. El que puede hablar es el que debe hacerlo, no importa lo que cueste. Siempre que se opone uno a una dictadura uno esta ejerciendo la labor del hombre libre que no admite ataduras de ningún tipo. Creo excepcional la vida y la obra de este pintor y poeta sevillano y creo que se debe conocer pues a mi nunca me hablaron de Helio Gómez y por eso lo haré yo…
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For me, he was an artist consistent with his ideas and knew, as an artist, how to express himself and educate. Those who can speak are the ones who must do so, regardless of the cost. Whenever one opposes a dictatorship, one is exercising the role of a free man who does not accept any kind of shackles. I find the life and work of this Sevillian painter and poet exceptional, and I believe it should be known because no one ever told me about Helio Gómez, and that is why I will tell you…
(«No Country, No Religion»/Francisco Bravo Cabrera/All Rights Reserved)
Well, like John Lennon said, «You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one…». And I agree, the things, the beautiful sentiments in this song are the stuff of dreams, especially when one realises what is going on in the world today. But I think John was right. You have to hold on to a dream and hope that the others who dream the same things will one day join us «…and the world will be as one.»
In this day and age when we see that countries instead of joining are fighting one another, and fighting their own people. When we see the horrible effects of intolerance, racism, chauvinism and all other forms of bigotry and hatred, we have to lean on dreams, and never lose hope. Tyrants have always risen, some in places where none expected them to, but inevitable, and time is implacable, they fall. The only thing that remains a constant in the world is love.
The world has no owners. It belongs to us all. «Imagine» ends with a wish, a desire, a hope: «Imagine all the people sharing all the world…» I do not know about you, but I subscribe to that wish.
(«John»/Francisco Bravo Cabrera/All Rights Reserved)
A woman artist that many perhaps may never have heard of but she was among the few women working professionally as cartoonists during the 1930’s and 40’s in the US. I think she is certainly worth knowing about and remembering.
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I hope you enjoy this edition of «Art History In One Minute (videos)» and that you share and comment, as well as like. Let us all participate in the international, web-based conversation about art.
(«Cara dura»/Francisco Bravo Cabrera/All Rights Reserved)
And not just the right, the duty…
It isn’t a matter of creating polemics or arguments…
No one needs to take one side or the other. There is no need to clash or impugne anyone for their opinions and one need not throw the house out the window just because someone said something on the television news.
We all get upset at some of the news items that we hear. Maybe because we feel that the news writers are defending those we dislike and attacking the ones we are in favour of. But for that we do not shoot the television set or the portable computer…
To expose an evil…
Do not condemn the guy that tells the story…
One must, if one can, speak out against injustice, abuse and cruelty…
And the one that speaks out is not the one who is doing it, nor the one they are doing it to. The one who speaks out is doing it because human beings are to be respected and not abused, not treated unjustly and not treated to cruel and inhuman actions.
If there is an inherent evil that none of us should tolerate it is the silence that makes us complicit with the evil-doers.
Countries must defend their integrity and their borders. Criminals must be rounded up and punished. But all must be in accordance to the law, to the written law that is much more powerful than brutality.
I do not write to seek approval and definitely not to alienate anyone. I believe in the freedom of expression, something civilised governments have guaranteed. So I speak of what I see and discover, not what I would like to see done. I invite open discussions. I do not censure comments to my site. Well I do if they are vulgar insults and tasteless remarks that do not have anything to do with the topic or if they are offensive to myself or others.
If anyone feels they cannot tolerate a dose of truth and an ounce of opinion, I am so sorry. That is how life is, a little bit here and a little bit there. Some for you, some for me…
JaZzArt en València 